29th Feb 2008
Ieper in the rain
Have spent a splendid day in the company of friends in the Belgian town of Ieper. Defended till the death between 1914 and 1918 it became the allies’ bulwark against Germany. The battle for Passchendale was fought on its outskirts and the reminders of war are everywhere from Hill 60 to the shrapnel corner. The town was totally rebuilt against Winston Churchill’s wishes in the twenties as he believed it should be left in ruins as a reminder of German brutality. The local’s were defiant and brick by brick reassembled a beautiful Flemish spot.
There are no McDevitt’s on Menin Gate but there are thousands of other Irish names amongst the 58,000 for whom there is no grave. The Irish Peace tower stands on a hill over the final battleground where the 16th and 36th divisions pushed the German lines back in June 1917. There are some wonderful inscriptions as you walk in. They say different things but have a single message best summed up in the words of Tom Kettle:
To dice with death, and, oh! They’ll give you rhyme
And reason; one will call the thing sublime,
And one decry it in a knowing tone.
So here, while the mad guns curse overhead,
And tired men sigh, with mud for couch and floor,
Know that we fools, now with the foolish dead,
Died not for Flag, nor King, nor Emporor,
But for a dream born in a herdsman’s shed,
And for the Secret Scripture of the poor.
Big Fearghal O’Boyleis a magnificent guide and has created a programme which will take us from here to the Somme and on to the other famous fields of Flanders. The war to end wars has been followed by 125 conflicts. It’s impact on our small island was immense yet it is only now that many are daring to explore this very shared part of our history.
Louise from Gerry Anderson’s own home town in pulling pints in the peace village and looking after the weary travellers. The perfect host and a friendly face and the end of a big day.
Off to the last post now.
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